A Wish to Heal Immortal Wounds
by Skye Maxwell
Summary: After 18 years, the pain of what happened after the destruction of Itex is still fresh and unbearable. What can make the hurt disappear? One-shot.


**Hi guys. This story is a one-shot songfic, the first in (hopefully) a long line of songfics from me. James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. The song, _My Immortal_, is owned by Evanescence. The idea came to me after hearing the song on the radio and would not leave my head until I wrote it down. I hope you like it.**

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**A Wish to Heal Immortal Wounds**

She tossed and turned in her bed, her dreams, or nightmares rather, tearing her apart. Her eyelids flew open, and she blinked, trying to remember where she was. She felt a pair of eyes watching her and turned to see her husband sitting up in bed.

He didn't ask what was wrong, because he already knew. It was the same thing that always haunted his wife in the night. He hadn't been able to sleep with her tossing about, so he had just watched over her protectively as pain tugged at his own heart.

He looked down at her as her eyes searched the room and then set upon him. They had been married for seven years now, but their friendship had gone back further than that. They were both thirty-two years old. He looked into her eyes, still awestruck by her beauty.

She sat up, feeling a cold sweat running down her back. She took her husband's hand, like she would do when they were younger, and she melted into the silence of the night. He frowned as he intertwined his fingers with hers, hating to see her so torn apart.

She said quietly, "You would think that eighteen years would be long enough to get over something."

"But it's not," he whispered back.

He kissed her forehead, and she gently and sorrowfully touched his lips with hers. They lay back down after some time of sitting and watching the darkness. Neither of them made a sound for the rest of the night, but they each knew that the other did not sleep for a second.

_I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave _

_I wish that you would just leave_

_'Cause your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase..._

It was about 11 o'clock in the morning. The sky was a dark shade of grey, and an icy, slicing wind was cutting through the trees. The kitchen was bustling with people, all getting ready to celebrate Destiny's birthday. Destiny was still in bed. Everyone was ready for her, hiding in the part of the kitchen that couldn't be seen from the staircase.

They all looked at Destiny's mother expectantly. She had been staring off into space, and her sister shook her arm to bring her back down to earth.

"What?" she said, "Oh. Sorry. I'll go get her."

She left the kitchen and traveled quickly up the staircase to Destiny's room at the far end of the hall. Destiny woke to the sound of her door opening, and her dark eyes sparkled as her mother sat on the edge of her bed.

"You know what day it is, Mommy?"

"Of course, Destiny Angel, it's your birthday."

"I want ice cream for breakfast!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"You know you're not supposed to have ice cream for breakfast anymore, Destiny Angel."

"Mommy, why do you use my middle name? Can't you just call me Destiny?"

Her voice stuck in her throat at hearing Destiny say that, and her heart dropped.

"Um, sure... Destiny," she finally managed to say. "Let's go downstairs now."

"Okay!" Destiny said as she threw the covers off and practically leaped onto the floor.

Destiny grabbed her mother's hand, eager to go downstairs and beg her daddy for ice cream for breakfast. They walked into the kitchen.

"SURPRISE!"

Destiny screamed in terror and hid behind her mother's legs. There was a roar of laughter, and she peaked out from behind her mom. She broke into a smile and started laughing hysterically as she recognized her grandmother, her aunts and uncles, and other family members. She ran to one of her uncles first, who scooped her up in his arms and spun her around.

"Uncle Iggy!" she cried.

"How's my favorite niece?" he asked.

"She's fine, thanks for asking," she giggled.

Her mother watched from a distance as Destiny made her way through the group, being smothered in hugs and laughter.

Her father watched as she did her special handshake with her Uncle Gazzy. Her happy glow was almost as blinding as his wife's. He wished his wife would smile more often. He watched Destiny as her curly brown hair bounced wildly when her Aunt Nudge twirled her around like a ballerina. Glancing over at his wife, he held his breath, watching her eyes become a bit more peaceful.

Destiny surprised him by attacking his legs in a hug. He caught himself on the counter, taking his eyes off his wife and remembering to breathe.

"It's my birthday, Daddy!"

"I know, sweetie. Happy Birthday," he said as he picked her up and squeezed her.

As soon as he set her down, her eyes widened as they set on a huge, frosted cake sitting on the kitchen table.

"Uncle Iggy made it just for you," her grandmother told her.

"My favorite colors!" she cried, reaching up toward the cake but not being tall enough to get it.

He smirked at the fact that his daughter's favorite colors were pink... and black. He picked her up and sat down in a chair in front of the cake, placing Destiny in his lap.

Everyone else gathered around, and Uncle Gazzy used a lighter to illuminate the sparkler candles.

"Ooh, pretty," she said.

Her mom, standing apart from the group, flicked the light switch to the off position, and the candles made a faint glow in the room.

Everyone began to sing happy birthday wildly. Her mom mouthed the words with a weak smile on her face.

The second verse was even louder, but it only had one line that they kept repeating.

"How o-old are you?"

"Seven!"

"How o-old are you?"

"Seven!"

"How o-old are you-ou?"

"I'm seven!"

"How o-old are yooou?"

"Seven!"

More laughter came followed by a hushed silence as Destiny squeezed her eyes shut to make a wish. She whispered her wish, not thinking anyone could hear, but he heard it.

"I wish Mommy would smile more."

She blew out the candles after her third try.

The noise level escalated again, but he didn't seem to hear it, amazed by his little girl's birthday wish.

His wife suddenly crossed the kitchen. She slid the glass door open and slipped out silently. Destiny didn't even notice in all the commotion. He picked her up off his lap and handed her to Iggy, following his wife out the door as Iggy precisely sliced the cake into pieces.

She was already on the other side of the yard, next to the fence. She was leaning against the tree Destiny's tree house was in, ensuring she wasn't visible through the kitchen doors. He made his way over to her and, to his dismay; her head was in her hands. She was crying and shaking convulsively.

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase..._

"Max-"

She grabbed him by the shirt and threw her arms around him, trying to suppress her tears. Nothing in the world could hurt him as much as seeing Max cry, especially for the reason she cried now.

"Max, please-"

"Seven."

"What?"

"Seven. She never made it to seven!"

His insides twisted as she said this, recalling how she must have been dying through the second verse of happy birthday.

"I need to go visit her."

"But Max," he said softly, "it's Destiny's birthday."

"It won't take long. Please, Fang?"

She looked up at him with wet, pleading eyes, and he knew he would have to take her.

"Okay, Max."

"Thank you," she breathed.

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase..._

She wiped her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and walked back toward the house with him by her side.

They slipped back in quietly. Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Ella were all laughing near the sink and washing smashed cake off their faces. Fang grabbed his keys out of the little clay bowl Destiny had made him. The group looked at him with questions in their eyes. Max was already out the front door.

"Um, we forgot to pick something up from the store. We'll be right back. Be good for everyone, okay, Destiny?"

"Yes, Daddy," she said sweetly through a mouthful of cake, her teeth already stained with black frosting as her small, dark wings flapped cheerfully.

The others returned to what they were doing as to not worry Destiny, but they all knew something wasn't right.

He grabbed his coat, along with Max's, and headed out the front door.

She was standing by the passenger's side, shivering, waiting for him to unlock the door. He rushed over and placed the coat on her shoulders. He unlocked and opened the door for her and waited until she was completely in to close it.

They drove a few miles to the store. They both went in, and Max picked out a bouquet of lilies. Fang picked out a single pink rose for Destiny and had the worker put a black ribbon around it.

They drove a few more miles and arrived at their destination. Max remembered the first time they had been there, eighteen years earlier.

Eighteen years ago was when they saved the world. Eighteen years ago was when they had destroyed Itex. But saving the world came with a price: Angel's life.

Angel had fought as hard as she could at the end, but it had been too much for her to handle. Everyone was too caught up in their own life-or-death battles to help her. She defeated tons of Flyboys, but one caught her off guard and knocked her out of the sky, sending her to the ground.

Angel had died in Max's arms.

She had handed Celeste over to Max, saying, "Take care of her."

"Angel, no!"

"I love you."

Those were her last words to Max as her eyes closed. There wasn't even time to say it back before she was gone.

Max had saved the world, but now it meant nothing to her.

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

Max dashed over to Angel's grave and dropped down to her knees. Fang followed, pain swelling in his chest. Max laid the lilies down and sobbed, one hand clutching the headstone.

The headstone read- 'To our Angel. You were and will always be our light, our laughter, and our hope. If there's a better place out there somewhere, then we know you are there, and we hope you are happy. Life didn't always give you peace, but we hope you have found it now. We love you, too.'

"It should have been me. I should have died, not you. You were just six years old. You deserved to live. You did nothing wrong. Why did it have to be you? I needed you with me; I still need you, Angel. I can still hear your voice. Everything I see reminds me of you. I feel guilty for every move I make because I shouldn't even be moving! You should be here, not me!"

Fang wanted to yell, "Don't say that!" but he wished it was him instead of Angel, too.

Max tried to remember all the happy moments she'd had with Angel, but somehow they hurt her even more.

_You used to captivate me_

_By your resonating light_

_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it haunts_

_My once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased away_

_All the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

She remembered holding Angel's tiny hand as she would cry. Max would sit with her for hours, trying to make her feel better; trying to make her fears disappear even though she was afraid herself.

Now she looked at the hand that once held Angel's, and it seemed like it wasn't a part of her. Nothing seemed real anymore.

"Angel, when you left, a piece of me died. I should have been there to save you. I should have saved you!"

Fang couldn't stand this. A burning sensation ran through his entire body, and tears were coming up in his eyes. He stood there having to watch the person he loved most in the world visibly fall to pieces.

"You would be twenty-four by now! You could have done so much! You had so much life left to live! You should be back there at the house, wiping icing off your face and laughing like everyone else!"

Max's hand slipped off the stone and fell to the ground. She put her head on the grass, still sobbing. Her voice was gone. She couldn't yell anymore.

Fang knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep himself together for her. She gently rocked back and forth, trying to find a way out of this insanity.

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_But though you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along_

After a long time huddled there, Max spoke.

"Fang, I feel so empty. I feel so alone."

He didn't want to hear her say that.

"Max, you're not alone. You have the flock, you have your mom and Ella, and you have Destiny. And I swear, as long as my heart is beating, I will never leave you alone. I know it hurts, but Angel loved you and would want you to move on. She would want you to live your life and be happy."

"I can't just go on living like she was never there."

"You don't have to, Max."

Fang was struggling, not knowing if anything he ever said would make her heart heal.

"I was supposed to protect her, Fang."

"You did everything you could for her. Her death was not your fault, and you know that."

The wind, which had died down, started back up again violently. It stung Max's face in strong bursts.

"It should be me, not her."

Another burst of wind hit her in the face, forming new tears in her eyes.

"I know you're here for me, but I still feel like I'm hollow."

The wind hit her again, almost knocking her out of Fang's arms.

"Max, we need to go home."

They stood up.

"I wish there was some sign that would tell me I didn't have to feel guilty for being happy."

Yet another gust hit her, and she was knocked off her feet.

Fang, who wasn't even shaken by the gust, looked in the direction from which the wind was coming, bewildered. It seemed to be... _aiming_ for Max.

"As if life hasn't knocked me down enough already!" Max screamed.

A last, powerful gust that appeared visible and seemed almost alive was coming at Max. Fang stood in front of her, but the gust pushed him out of the way. He watched in terror as it whipped past him and collided with Max, actually lifting her off the ground.

Her wings snapped out, and she tried to fight against the wind, but it was too strong. She stopped fighting it and let it carry her and flow through her wings, not knowing what else to do. Fang was now in pursuit of her, but the gust was slightly faster than him.

It seemed like she had been going for miles when suddenly, the gust just stopped, and it was like the ground had been pulled out from beneath her. She started falling fast and couldn't get her wings open fast enough.

"Max!"

Her falling body crashed into his a few feet above the ground, sending them both to the dirt painfully. She landed on top of him, crushing him beneath her. She rolled off and kneeled at his side.

"Are you okay?" they asked simultaneously.

Neither answered, for they were realizing where they were. This is where Angel had died.

Max's eyes grew to twice their normal size. Looking past Fang's body, she saw a bunch of smooth, white pebbles.

"Fang, look," she said, pointing a shaking finger.

"Holy crap."

The pebbles were arranged to form tiny letters. They spelled out 'It's okay, Max.'

They both stared at the pebbles, not knowing what to think.

Fang looked at Max, nervously preparing himself for her to have a meltdown.

"Thank you. Oh my God. Thank you!"

Fang sat in awed silence as the love of his life smiled and laughed like she hadn't done in so long. Tears were still rolling down her perfect face, but her eyes were looking to the sky, glowing with happiness and relief.

It was blinding.

He smiled, too, as a heavy weight lifted off his heart. He wiped the tears off her face and took both of her hands in his, wanting her happiness to last forever. Beams of sunlight broke through one of the dark, grey clouds in the distance, and while it was glorious, he didn't even think it compared to her.

He looked deep into her eyes. They looked different. It was like there was a new light in them. He looked into them and said, "I love you, Maximum. It's okay."

She smiled at him and said, "I know."

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

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**There it is, folks. Please click the review button and share your thoughts with me. They are very much appreciated.**

**A special thanks to my awesome Beta, acavoo, for helping me with this songfic, for being an honest and unafraid reviewer, and for not dissing my cheesy story.**

**And thank you to everyone who reads this.**

**-Skye**


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